Ceasefire Holding; Celebrations in Gaza City Streets; Hospital Targeted In Syria; Black Friday In America; NYC's Thanksgiving Day Parade; Black Friday Deals Starting Early This Year; Using Your Smartphone to Find the Best Deals

Aired November 22, 2012 - 06:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, a deadly hospital attack. Forty people killed in Syria including a doctor and three children.

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, celebrations in the streets as a ceasefire is called between Israel and Gaza, but will it hold?

BALDWIN: And the likes of Charlie Brown and Kermit and Snoopy floating above New York City streets on this very early Thursday morning. Folks, it's Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade time.

CHO: A time-honored tradition.

BALDWIN: So exciting!

CHO: Another time-honored tradition is our Jason Carol, who's always along the parade route. He'll be joining us live. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to EARLY START and Happy Thanksgiving. I'm Alina Cho.

BALDWIN: Good morning. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Berman and Zoraida both have the day off. It is 6:00 on the east coast. Good to be with you. We'll get back to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade here, we promise, in just a moment.

But we want to begin with something that many people around the world are really thankful for this morning. The ceasefire is holding between Israel and Gaza this morning.

In Gaza City, where so much blood spilled over the last eight days, Palestinians are celebrating in the street. You can hear the horns honking, mosques were blaring, all the last several hours, Israel and Hamas agreeing to halt all acts of aggression against each other.

The ceasefire deal brokered largely by phone President Obama and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy reportedly making a real connection to stop the carnage.

We're going to begin our coverage here this morning of the ceasefire with Arwa Damon, who's live this morning for us in Gaza. And Arwa, we see the flags flying, the honking, the streets lined with cars. Is it still the same situation right now? ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It most certainly is. We can give you an idea of what the street below us looks like, as masses of people following Thursday midday prayers here are gathering in front of one of the government buildings. We've been hearing the speeches, listening to the messages coming from the loud speakers as well.

People very much declaring this a victory, although this is a city and a population that most certainly has paid an incredibly heavy price. Just to give you an idea, next to where the crowds are gathering down this main road in Gaza City are the remains of what was once a residential home that was attacked a few days ago.

We were here when that strike took place. It was massive. It shook the entire neighborhood. And so whilst on the one hand people are celebrating, they are saying that this was a victory for Hamas, for the Palestinians that they did manage to stand up against Israeli aggression.

On the other hand, they are also confronted with the reality that day still need to rebuild their city and also with the loss, the loss of human life. More than 160 people have been killed in Gaza. Of them, more than 40 children were the innocent victims caught up in all of this.

And there are great fears, great concerns that this, again, is a temporary measure, because the long-term issue of trying to establish a durable, viable peace agreement between these two populations is still something that remains elusive at this point -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: You know, as you point that out, we should point out that this is really what they're calling this cooling off period before that second round of negotiations before, really, the more topics will be discussed between all these parties. But let me ask you this, Arwa, what makes this ceasefire different than those in the past?

DAMON: There is one very important point that does, in fact, make this different and that is that at least from the perspective of those who are here in Gaza City. They were able to get something when they sat down at the negotiating table.

Of course, with Egypt as the intermediary with the Israelis. This time around, they were able to have at least some of their demands be met. First and foremost among those was that the border crossings open, that there is an easing of movement, of people, of goods.

And then of course for both sides, it was stopping the violence. The Israelis wanted to see an end to the rockets being launched at their population. The Palestinians, Hamas, wanted to see an end to Israel's targeted assassinations to what they call Israeli aggression against them.

So for many here, this time around versus four years ago, they were able to actually, with an intermediary, again, negotiate a cease-fire. In the sense that they were able to force the Israeli side to agree to some of their terms. But of course, we're going to have to see if those critical details are, in fact, implemented. Will the border crossings really open? Will the sea ports really be open? Will people be able to have that freedom of movement that they are looking for? This is still, very much, as you say, a first step.

BALDWIN: Arwa Damon for us in Gaza. Arwa, we'll be coming back to you this morning. Thank you.

CHO: All right, well, while the ceasefire talks take hold in Gaza, further to the north in Syria, more chaos and carnage. A hospital in Aleppo targeted by a government air strike overnight, at least 40 people were killed.

I want to take you live right now to Beirut, Lebanon. Our Nick Paton Walsh joins us live by phone with the very latest on the attack. Nick, good morning.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good morning. This is a key really in Aleppo, the commercial hub of Syria. I was there about two months ago, and it's really where all the injured are brought from the air strikes, bombardment by the regime of that densely populated city.

And it appears that late this afternoon it was hit by an air strike. Some of the images show the real devastation that blast brought, bringing down to the ground the four to five story building that stands to the left-hand side, the hospital.

Now, witnesses describe how the initial rebel commander appears to be adjusted down to somewhere in the region of perhaps 15 or 20, which is that confusion gives you an idea, really, of how much pandemonium on the ground.

Developing that whole crossroads, where that hospital is based and people struggling to work out the casualties, because the very building the dead are normally brought to has been destroyed.

CHO: Nick, we've been focusing as you know so much on the situation in Gaza this week. I'm just curious to know, has there been any real change there inside Syria?

WALSH: It's hard to say, really, but there's a lot of significant developments. I should point out that first of all, one, over 700 people have died in Syria since the violence began. Two other things have happened as well.

Rebels are taken to key military bases in the country. That does one thing. But it also gives the rebels access to much-need ammunition, some of actually able to bring down aircraft. The second thing that has happened that Turkey, Syria's neighbor, has requested from NATO the deployment long its border with Syria.

And they can defend themselves against Syrian aggression, maybe aircraft, shells, land inside Turkey. But it's a significant development, because it makes out into this conflict the biggest in history.

Now, while it has yet to be deployed, the smart money NATO will have to offer this to Turkey, which has been struggling with the military aspect of this.

CHO: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, live for us by phone from Beirut, Lebanon. Nick, thank you very much for that update.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Brooke. We are looking at fog once again being an issue, but this time a little further south in the city of Memphis. Be careful if you're driving in that region.

That holds true for Texas as well, all the way southward from Houston. You can also see visibility is not great in Chicago, but a lot better than it was yesterday. Through the day today, it will improve. That's good news.

In terms of expected air delays, I mentioned fog in Memphis and Houston so that will impact you. We're also looking for potential delays due to strong winds in Minneapolis, low clouds and fog in Seattle, don't rule out a scattered shower there.

We had some more rain yesterday. You can see things are looking a lot more dry. In the higher elevations, though, watch out for snow, especially if you're driving in North Dakota, in the Bismarck region. Back to you, Alina.

CHO: If you can get there through the parade traffic. Bonnie Schneider, thanks so much.

Some of us -- most of us will be a big Turkey coma later today. But some of us will be knee deep in shopping bags. That's because Black Friday has turned into Thanksgiving Thursday shopping. More stores opening earlier. Will we see the chaos of years past?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back to EARLY START. Just how far will people go for those Thanksgiving door buster deals? As we've seen in recent years, Black Friday can be a dangerous contact sport.

And Black Friday is fast becoming Black Thursday, with some of the biggest retailers open for business, even before you finish that turkey. CNN's Kyung Lah now with a closer look at shoppers gone wild.

LAH: Even tasing. Shoppers consumed with the deal turning on one another. At this Wal-Mart last year --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My eyes are burning!

LAH: -- one used pepper spray to fight suffocation in the crowd. This is Black Friday in America. And Connecticut shopper, John Daggett --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been standing in line for 36 hours.

LAH: -- loves it. This father of an 18-month old has been camping out for years. One year, he snapped photos as this crowd fought over $5 headphones.

JOHN DAGGETT, BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPER: The shoppers went berserk. I've never seen anything like it. People start lunging and grabbing and you see the arms all just go at once forward, like a team of superhero.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is relatively new is shoppers turning on other shoppers.

LAH: Amy Drolay is a consumer psychologist. She says competitive shopping has gotten worse, so accepted on Black Friday that it's here to stay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This piling on, stores being desperate for consumers to come and shop, so they're going to be offering a lot of deals and making the promotional environment something that predisposes people to not behave.

LAH: Bad behavior has led to serious injuries, even death, from crushed workers and shoppers to shootings at stores. That's why Best Buy has been running drills this year on crowd control. They're so serious at this store check out the plan on the Black Friday war board.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We prep a lot for this. We make sure the line is being monitored, let in little groups at a time, that way our employees aren't getting overwhelmed and neither are the customers.

LAH (on camera): The tents, the lines, the mayhem. Some shoppers say the only way they can handle Black Friday is by declaring a shopping blackout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People go crazy for a good deal, but it's not worth it to me. It's not worth it to my family.

LAH (voice-over): But crowds are just part of obtaining rare Black Friday deals, says Daggett.

JOHN DAGGETT, BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPER: I love when they try to swing at you or anything. It's funny to me, because everybody always gets mad when you're the one with the items that they want.

LAH: Consumers driven by competition, no matter the cost.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: I want to pull some of these ads, though. Let's take a look at them.

BALDWIN: Pulling the ads.

CHO: Some of these Black Friday ads here.

BALDWIN: More ads.

CHO: I have to tell you, have you ever stood in line for a door buster?

BALDWIN: I've only covered it. I've been that -- I've been that girl --

CHO: I've never done it.

BALDWIN: More ads.

CHO: So you can get a 50" Toshiba at H.H. Gregg, $499.99.

We're going to be talking to the CMO of Kmart, $88 flat screens. I mean, I guess, you know, it can be alluring.

BALDWIN: Look, they get you through the door. We'll talk to a couple folks about whether or not you should really just sit there and get online.

CHO: Yes, you can do it online.

BALDWIN: We'll talk about it.

CHO: All right. We're going to talk about that coming up.

Meanwhile, first, bad news for Sony and Panasonic this morning. Fitch says they are both facing weakness in their business.

First to Sony, in its share prices falling 52 percent just since March. In its last fiscal year, Sony lost $5.7 billion. That's a record.

Fitch released this statement, explaining its decision. Quote, "Meaningful recovery will be slow given the company's loss of technology leadership the in key products, high competition, weak economic conditions in developed markets and the strong yen."

Next to Panasonic, since March, the company's share price has fallen 46 percent. One silver lining, though, is Fitch did say the company is on the right track to restructuring. BALDWIN: Sixteen minutes past the hour here.

Susan Rice is speaking out. She is defending the comments she made in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attack in Benghazi. Rice had suggested that the attack were sparked by that anti-Muslim film. But new information is now showing it was more likely a premeditated assault.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations insists she was relying solely on information provided by U.S. intelligence agencies and she says she made it clear it was preliminary. She says this to one of her harshest critics. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.N. AMBASSADOR: I have great respect for Senator McCain and his service to our country. I always have and I always will. I do think that some of the statements he's made about me have been unfounded, but I look forward to having the opportunity at the appropriate time to discuss all of this with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Rice went on to say that she believes everyone, especially intelligence officials, were working in good faith to provide the best assessment of the events in Benghazi to the American people.

CHO: Less than a month after being re-elected, Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is resigning his seat, citing health concerns. Jackson, you'll recall, mysteriously disappeared from public view last June. It was later revealed he was being treated for bipolar disorder at the Mayo Clinic. Jackson is also the subject of investigations by the FBI and House Ethics Committee for alleged misuse of campaign funds.

BALDWIN: And millions of couches, perhaps yours, across the country today will be getting a bit of a workout. Check it out. It's the NFL lineup, because you can't have your turkey without a little bit football.

Turkey day, triple header, kicking off, 12:30 Eastern today with the Detroit Lions hosting the Houston Texans. Then, it's the Cowboys and the Redskins squaring off, 4:25 this afternoon, followed by a prime- time showdown, 8:20 tonight, right when you're on that second round of turkey, between the Pats and the Jets. Tonight is the night.

CHO: I'll be watching reruns of "Sex and the City" and then going to bed at 7:30.

BALDWIN: There you go. That's Alina Cho's night for you.

CHO: People already lining up outside our building here in New York for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. We're going to take you live to the streets right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHO: Twenty-two minutes after the hour. Welcome back to EARLY START and happy Thanksgiving.

It is almost show time in New York City. That's right, the 86th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It steps off in less than three hours from now.

BALDWIN: It was tough even to get into work early this morning, because the streets were already roped off at 3:00 a.m., some 3 million people are expected to line the parade route. Another 50 million will be watching from home.

Jason Carroll, he is out and about in Manhattan's upper west side.

And a beautiful morning. Have you seen the balloons?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is glorious out here, Brooke. Can you believe this? It's clear, it's actually pretty cool, but, you know, we could have had it so much worse -- looking really good out here at the parade route.

I want you to take a look behind me, Tom the Turkey, see those blinking lights down there? That's where Tom the Turkey is in the position, getting ready to start off the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, which should start at about 9:00 a.m.

Last night, of course, big tradition here in New York City, balloons being blown up. I think it's one of the only times you can hear the word "inflation" being used in a positive way, since these are the balloons being blown up. A few new additions this year, we've got Papa Smurf, we've got a brand-new Hello Kitty. Those are going to be some of the super balances you see making their way down the city.

Also, what would Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade be without all of these great people who show up so early, every single year, lining themselves up?

And here we've got the Brendow (ph) family. They are from Long Island. Actually, those are their friends. This is the real family.

You have been coming out here for how many years? Someone said, what, 35?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-five years.

CARROLL: Now, Brooke, that is dedication, isn't it?

Tell me, why do you guys come out every single year? Obviously, a big family tradition for you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A big tradition and we all just love being together for this great parade.

CARROLL: And what are the kids looking forward to seeing this year?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The SpongeBob balloon. CARROLL: SpongeBob is popular every year, Brooke, even this year.

I know we've got a new Hello Kitty coming up this year and Papa Smurf. Anything else you're looking forward to this year?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spider-Man!

CARROLL: Spider-Man back there. Very good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys look forward to Alfie, the new one?

CARROLL: Alfie, yes, yes, right?

And I know the family is also thankful they have power. They're from long island. You were without power for about a week because of hurricane Sandy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About a week, but luckily no damage and everybody was OK. So --

CARROLL: Definitely a blessing and definitely something to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving.

So, once again, Brooke, you can say hello to Brooke back there at CNN and the rest of the world.

CROWD: Happy Thanksgiving!

BALDWIN: Happy Thanksgiving! That is a good-looking family there.

CARROLL: Didn't catch that. What was that? Yes, she said you were a good-looking family.

CHO: And if you're leaving the house right now, you can watch us anytime on your desktop, your mobile phone. Just go to CNN.com/TV.

We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We are now less than 24 hours into the cease-fire between Gaza and Israel. But how long will it hold? We'll have a live report for you, coming up.

CHO: Plus, an explosion rocks a neighborhood in Indiana and now we've learned that more than 30 homes will be demolished, just in time for the holidays.

BALDWIN: And millions of people will be heading to the stores tomorrow on this upcoming Black Friday, but many others will actually just hop on their cell phones to shop. We'll have the best mobile apps for you coming up a little bit later here on EARLY START.

CHO: Sounds like Brooke Baldwin's day to shop.

Good morning.

BALDWIN: Sounds like. I'm ready. Bring it.

CHO: Twenty-nine minutes after the hour. Welcome to EARLY START on this Thanksgiving. I'm Alina Cho.

BALDWIN: And I'm Brooke Baldwin. Good morning. John and Zoraida are off. We hope you're having a wonderful early Thanksgiving morning, 6:30 in the morning here on the East Coast.

CHO: And we are 16 hours into a delicate cease-fire in Gaza and Israel. So far, it is holdings. The bombings and bloodshed had ended in Gaza City, where Palestinians in the streets. Israel and Hamas agreeing to stop all aggressions after eight days of carnage.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton putting the deal in perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a critical moment for the region. Egypt's new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone of regional stability and peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Let's go live now to Fred Pleitgen. He's in Ashkelon, Israel.

Fred, good morning to you. What's going on where you are?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alina.

Well, this morning, as you said, it's fairly quiet compared to the past couple of days. There have been, apparently, some smaller cease- fire violations, according to the Israeli military. They said that overnight, some three rockets were fired out of Gaza on to Israeli territory. All of those rockets hit either in open fields, but one was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The Israelis say they don't consider this a real violation of the cease-fire. And, so, therefore, it is, indeed, holding.

Now, here in Ashkelon, however, people are actually quite skeptical. They say they have had things like this in the past, where there have been big Israeli military operations, there have been bombings in Gaza, and in the end, however, Hamas was still there. Hamas managed to regroup, Hamas managed to get new weapons, and Hamas managed to bomb cities like this one, like Ashkelon again.

Nevertheless, of course, after eight days of almost nonstop rocket attacks on this town and on other towns, there are also people, especially people who have children, who are now saying this is the first time that they can actually go out with their kids without having to fear those sirens go off, Alina.

CHO: Fred, as you well know, Benjamin Netanyahu did sort of leave the door open for further military offensive, even as this cease-fire holds. What can you tell us about the troop buildup there along the border?

PLEITGEN: Yes, it's very interesting. Because that's something that he's always been saying, since the beginning, that a military ground operation is something that is still very much in the cards. And, of course, as you said, quite rightly, this is still a very delicate cease-fire, that both sides are monitoring, and of course the Israeli military is monitoring as well. Nevertheless, we're already seeing troops withdraw from the border. We were at a site earlier today that had a lot of armored personnel carriers in it, and also a lot of ground troops in it. We saw those troops packing up. We saw trucks getting ready to bring armored personnel carriers back into their bases.

So it seems as though the military withdrawal has already started. However, the military still very closely monitoring the situation in Gaza, whether or not rockets will be flying out of that place. And, of course, if need be, that withdrawal can be reversed and the military can come back, Alina.

CHO: Fred Pleitgen, live for us in Israel -- Fred, thank you very much.

BALDWIN: I want to bring in Daniel Levy. He's a former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, currently serves with the European Council of Foreign Relations, as a director of its Middle East and North Africa program.

Let me just begin with this. We have learned that there have been at least five rockets fired from Gaza since this truce started, right around 2:00 Eastern Time for us here in the U.S.

Do you think this cease-fire will last?

LEVY: Yes, I do. And I think your reporter just said that at the moment, Israelis are not treating these as significant violations. There are different armed factions in Gaza. One has to make sure that they are all brought on board. I think that is happening. The callout of the Israeli reservists is now being drawn down.

And the bigger picture here, Brooke, is that no one really had much of an appetite for a ground invasion. In fact, by threatening a ground invasion, the Israeli leadership may have well cornered itself, because they know that there's a law of diminishing returns. And although there is some public dissatisfaction in Israel, I think that's partially because their leaders have told them that there are military solutions where there aren't military solutions and their own leaders have avoided the political solutions that ultimately are needed.

CHO: Mr. Levy, it's Alina Cho here along with Brooke. I guess my question to you is this. The cease-fire has now been holding for some 16 1/2 hours, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 9:00 p.m. local time there. They will have reached the 24-hour mark and the border crossings will reopen into Gaza.

At that point, as you know, the sort of more meaty talks will begin, right? What do you expect the demands on both sides to look like?

LEVY: I'm sorry, Alina. I think, to be honest, what you're defining as the more meaty talks probably will not end up being that. I think the meaty stuff was primarily getting to a cease-fire. And although as you absolutely, rightly note, there are clauses in this agreement about opening up Gaza, I think that will end up being limited, mostly through the Egyptian border.

There will be some easing on the Israeli side. That will take time. It will be partial.

We have not really solved the problem. The problem, both in terms of Gaza as a place that's open to the world rather than a place that's blockaded. But also the bigger problem, Gaza is a small part of the Palestinian territory. You have the West Bank under occupation, Jerusalem under occupation. For both sides really to have security, in the long-term, it's those bigger political questions that will need to be addressed.

And that, obviously, isn't really part of this cease-fire understanding.

CHO: It doesn't sound very -- you don't sound very hopeful, then. What is it going to take? Is it going to take someone like a Bill Clinton to go in as a Middle East envoy?

I mean, the hope, on the part of everyone, I think, is for a larger peace agreement. But you don't sound like you think that's going to happen in the near term.

LEVY: Well, Alina, I'm optimistic that the cease-fire holds, but history has to teach us something, and we had a cease-fire four years ago after the devastating Israeli Operation Cast Lead against Gaza. And that four years has not been used to advance peace. It would be good to have an envoy like former President Clinton, but it requires a bit more than that. It requires acknowledging that you have to deal with Hamas. One of the notable things here, of course, was that Secretary of State Clinton couldn't be a mediator, because America refuses to deal with Hamas.

You're going to have to deal with Israeli recalcitrants when it comes to actually ending the occupation.

BALDWIN: But one major difference, Daniel. This is Brooke. Once major difference is the fact that Hamas has really emerged as quite an influence, sort of awakening this new voice from the Arab world, post- Arab spring. PLO, more or less, kind of sidelines because of what we see in the past couple of days.

My question to you, and in asking you, I want you to listen to some sound. This is the leader of Hamas speaking to our own Christiane Amanpour this past Wednesday exclusively about a possible, given this influence, a possible two-state solution. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You say that you would expect a two-state solution, but that you will not recognize Israel's right to exist.

KHALED MESHAAL, HAMAS POLITICAL LEADER: I accept a state of the 1967. How can I accept Israel? They have occupied my land. I need recognition, not the Israelis. This is a reverse question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What do you think? Possible two-state solution in the near- ish future?

LEVY: Look, you have on the Palestinian side, a strong actor, Hamas, the leader of which we just heard a quote from. He was basically saying the two-state solution is not impossible.

BALDWIN: Right.

LEVY: You have on the Israeli side a prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has used the words "two states", but has done the opposite. Neither the Israeli leader nor the Hamas leader are enthusiastic supporters of a two-state solution. If left to their own devices, it won't happen, which is why you need forceful, external intervention.

America is crucial in that respect. Of course, the Arab states will be important as well. But America is crucial, probably is the only one that can deliver Israel. But that requires a quite significant reframing of how America uses its leverage with Israel.

So far, it has been extremely allergic, also under President Obama, to use that leverage. If America doesn't use that leverage, I'd say, forget about a two-state solution. BALDWIN: We'll post some of those precise points you bring up here to the spokesperson from Benjamin Netanyahu when we talk to him a little bit later this morning.

CHO: A bloody night across Syria. Government air strikes targeting a hospital in the war-torn town of Aleppo. Rebel forces say the blast killed at least 40 people. It's the second time that hospital has been attacked by the Syrian regime.

Earlier this year, the maternity ward was badly damaged by an artillery shell.

BALDWIN: New this morning, President Obama delivered his annual Thanksgiving address, and of course, giving thanks for the blessings we all share as Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanksgiving is a chance to put it all in perspective. To remember that despite our differences, we are and always will be American's first and foremost. Today, we give thanks for blessings that are all too rare in this world -- the ability to spend time with the ones we love, to say what we want, to worship as we please, to know that there are brave men and women defending our freedom around the globe, and to look our children in the eye and to tell them that here in America, no dream is too big if they're willing to work for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The president also expressing his gratitude to FEMA, first responders, and volunteers who have come to the aid of superstorm Sandy.

CHO: As many as 33 homes are now slated for demolition by the end of the year in the Indianapolis subdivision, where an explosion killed two people earlier this month. At least 90 homes were damaged or destroyed in that blast. 12 of those homes will be torn down in the next two weeks because they're in imminent danger of collapse.

BALDWIN: And a family giving thanks this morning after a terrifying afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard cars screeching, so I went outside. There was a guy that had been standing by the front door. He was gone and the car was gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: He was gone, the car was gone, and her son gone also. A Texas woman left her 1-year-old in the backseat as she carried supplies into the gas station she owns with her husband. And that is when one man hanging out outside jumped into her minivan, sped off.

Police did find the toddler, just about half an hour later on the side of the road, sitting in his car seat. He's OK and the suspect was later arrested.

CHO: Talk about giving thanks.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CHO: And fryer beware. The video Brooke has been waiting for all morning.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CHO: Here is what could happen if you deep fry your Thanksgiving turkey instead of the traditional oven bake. This is video released by the Fargo Fire Department in North Dakota. Turkey fryers currently available for home use pose a significant danger that hot oil will be released at some point during the cooking process and that, there, is what could happen.

BALDWIN: You know who's deep frying his turkey this morning?

CHO: Who's that?

BALDWIN: John Berman.

CHO: Oh.

BALDWIN: Oh, and I said, Berman, don't make us make your video of the fried turkey the file video that we talk about this time next year. He's like, don't worry -- don't worry, Baldwin, it's my brother-in- law, he's all over it.

CHO: Could be looking at that tomorrow. Yes, exactly.

BALDWIN: So it doesn't matter whether you're sitting is at home this Thanksgiving, maybe at a parade, maybe traveling. You need to know about the weather, so we have you covered there, coming up next.

Also, take a look. Oh, it's exciting! They're getting ready. Live pictures from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as the sun begins to rise over the city here, New York City.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. JOHN HOWE, U.S. ARMY: Hello. This is Sgt. John Howe with the 316th sustainment command at beautiful Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. I'd like to say hello to my wife and family in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Hi, Paula. I love you, I miss you, I can't wait to see you. And Happy Thanksgiving.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHO: How about that for a Thanksgiving wish? Welcome back to EARLY START, everybody. It is 46 minutes after the hour. We want to get to the weather now. The forecast, everybody watching that on this Thanksgiving holiday.

Bonnie Schneider there in Atlanta for us. Hey, Bonnie, what you watching? Good morning.

SCHNEIDER: Good morning, Alina.

You know, yesterday, we were talking a lot about fog in Chicago. Now, the fog is further south in Memphis, Tennessee, this morning. So, if you're driving there or in the Houston region, be careful. Use the low beams this morning. We're definitely looking at overcast conditions.

Also, windy weather with gusts up to 45 miles per hour across parts of the northern plain states, and that includes the Dakotas. So, those winds will be strong, and that's important to note if you're driving or flying, because both of these factors will come into play when it comes to your airport delays. Dense fog may slow you down in Memphis and in Houston.

In Minneapolis, the strong winds could cause delays, at least under an hour. And Seattle, we have low clouds, some spotty showers popping up in the forecast. We had that yesterday in San Francisco. Generally speaking, it's looking better across the northwest, but watch out for snow in the higher elevations. Back to you.

CHO: All right. Bonnie, thank you so much.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

BALDWIN: It is 47 minutes past the hour. Let's get you up to date on today's top stories, including now the ceasefire agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (voice-over): It is holding in Israel and Gaza. Israeli army units are beginning to leave the border. They had been gathering there for a possible ground offensive. Here's the thing. If the ceasefire holds through this afternoon, that would be the 24-hour negotiating period here, then another round of negotiations begin between Israel and Hamas.

The goal of that is to loosen restrictions along the border and begin easing the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

CHO (voice-over): Susan Rice is publicly defending the comments she made in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. She says she was relying solely on information provided by U.S. intelligence agencies when she blamed an anti-Islam video for the incident and insists the intelligence community was working in good faith to provide the very best assessment of the attack as the information was coming in.

BALDWIN: The Big Apple, getting its parade on. Let's take a look at some of these live pictures. You can see people already lining the streets. We saw a family already there, ready to roll at 6:30 here in the morning on the east coast. The stars of the Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade are already blown up.

That happened last night on the upper west side. They're ready to go as well. Here's the theme. Watch out this morning for these three new characters joining the floats this year, joining the parade, you have Elf on a Shelf, the Smurf, Hello Kitty. The parade begins in a little more than two hours.

CHO: I love me some hello kitty.

BALDWIN: Have you covered it?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (on-camera): I haven't. You know why, because Jason Carroll has the monopoly.

BALDWIN (on-camera): Jason Carroll, share the love. Share the parade love. He does a great job.

CHO: It's OK. We're office mates and good friends.

(LAUGHTER)

CHO: I'll let you have it, Jason.

All right. We all love to save money, right?

BALDWIN: Yes.

CHO: And with Black Friday upon us, I'm going to show you how you can use your cell phone and how that can help you save a ton of time and money. We'll show you specifically how to do it, and that's coming up after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Happy thanksgiving. Welcome back to EARLY START here. Yes, we talk turkey today, but we also talk shopping, because consumers are expected to spend more this holiday season. Bargain hunters will be getting a jump on Black Friday deals. Oh, no, not tomorrow, tonight.

And as CNN's Money Laurie Segall tells us good deals can be found with simply the touch of your mobile phone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNNMONEY.COM: It's officially holiday season, and there are a lot of ways you can use your Smartphone to do more than just phone home. You can find a lot of great deals using your Smartphone. So, we decided to test it out. We're here at Toys "R" Us to start out our morning.

(voice-over) We used an app called red laser to figure out where we could get a good price on one of the season's hottest toys, Furby. Type in the item you're looking for, and it will find stores nearby that carry it.

(on-camera) $54, it matches what they said on my app, the teal Furby, so I can get it right here.

(voice-over) But here's the catch, just because your item's on the app doesn't mean it's in stock.

(on-camera) So, I just used red laser to help me find something specific, but, now, I just want to look for a good deal in my area.

(voice-over) So, I'm going to open up an app called Black Friday, and it shows me K-Mart right nearby has 745 coupons, so let's go test it out.

(on-camera) So, the Black Friday app showed a lot of discounted TVs here at K-Mart. So, the first one they're showing is a TV for $88. Here it is.

(voice-over) Lots of great deals on the Black Friday app, but the ads are mostly limited to major retailers. You won't find local discounts from your mom and pop stores.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am using specific apps, especially K-Mart's to see where I can get the best deal, because, you know, it's the holidays.

SEGALL (on-camera): So, let's say we want to do a little comparison shopping. Now, check out this DVD, it's $20, but using an app called SnapTell, I can take a picture of it and it's going to tell me all the prices at stores nearby. It's actually cheaper here than at stores in the area.

(voice-over) SnapTell works easily to help find the best price, but, it's limited to books, DVDs, CDs, and video games.

(on-camera) One DVD.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

SEGALL: So, here's my receipt, and I'm probably going to get a lot of these during the holiday season. One way to actually keep tabs on all these receipts, you can use an app called Lemon and just take a picture, and this way, I don't have to carry around all that paper.

(voice-over): So, as we enter the busiest shopping season of the year, your phone could be your competitive edge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Laurie Segall with CNN Money. And before you head out shopping, here's just a little bit of advice here for you. Just go to CNNMoney.com, click on the website, we have a wealth of information to help you save money. And we always like saving a little time as well.

CHO: That's it for EARLY START. Don't you worry your pretty little head. "Starting Point" starts right after this --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We're going to leave you here just for a second with another live picture of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, getting ready to roll in a matter of hours. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Good morning to you. Happy Thanksgiving. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

CHO: And I'm Alina Cho. Soledad is off today. Our "Starting Point," the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East. Celebrations amid the relative calm this morning, but the billion-dollar question is this, how long will it last?

BALDWIN: We will be talking to former senator, George Mitchell, also a former special envoy to the Middle East. In addition, we'll be hearing from Israeli government spokesperson, Mark Regev, and Nour Odeh, spokeswoman for the Palestinian authority.

CHO: Also, U.S. ambassador Susan Rice is speaking out now and defending herself over those statements she made after the U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi. We're going to tell you what she says.

BALDWIN: Plus, a turkey day tradition. The Macy's parade stepping off in a matter of what, just about two of hours from now here in New York. We're live on the streets amid all the holiday excitement.

CHO: Can't wait for that.

It's November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day, a special edition of "STARTING POINT" begins right now.